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When we talk about sugar in our food we tend to focus only on calories or mention the adverse effect on our theeth. We all know that too much sugar is unhaelthy. But the discussions often focus on the already known impacts and some of the most dangerous impacts are ignored. In this article I try to give you an other view on the consumption of sugar. Today we know that sugar impacts almost every organ in the human body! [1]
Heart problems
Mostly fat is called the major reason for heart diseas. It is true that certain fats like trans fats can cause heart problems. However the real culprit is sugar. In 2016 a paper has been published claiming that harvard researchers have been paid by the sugar industry to sweep the bad effect of sugar under the carpet in the 1960s. This is one of the reasons why sugar isn't seen as harmful as it is by the public. [2]
In 2014 researchers were able to show that ingesting too much added sugar could significantly increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
The average U.S. adult consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugar every day. The American Heart Association reccomands about 6 teaspoons or 100 calories of sugar for a woman and 9 teaspoons or 150 calories for a man.
Fatty livers
In the U.S. more and more non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases are diagnosed. And guess what seems to be the main reason for that? Sugar! Hidden fructose has been called a weapon of mass destruction![3]
It has been proven that people who drink one sugar-sweetened beverage a day face a higher risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver.
Leaky Gut
Microorganisms living in the gut act similar to a metabolic “organ”. Researchers now believe that sugar changes this organisms in a way that leads to a symptom called leaky gut. This means that various substances are transfered from the gut in to the bloodstream. This can cause obesity and other chronic, metabolic diseases. [1]
Cancer
Researchers examined the connection between various cancers and sugar. They were able to find a link between certain types of sugar and certain types of cancer. For example added fructose is known to increase the risk for cancer the small intestine and added sugars increase the risk esophageal cancer. [1]
Conclusion
It is to say that sugar is not only bad and our body needs sugar. The bad thing is only the amount of hidden sugar we find in our food. In order to live healthy and keep our body fit it is good practice to reduce the amount of sugar we eat. It's best to drink water or tea without sugar.
There are also many alternatives to sugar: honey, xylitol (naturally produced by trees), stevia (made from leaves of the stevia plant) and many more.
Sources
[1] https://draxe.com
[2] Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research A Historical Analysis of Internal Industry Documents
[3] Carbohydrate intake and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: fructose as a weapon of mass destruction